This tower on the opposite side of Old Palace Yard from Victoria Tower at the south end of the Houses of Parliament is one of the few elements of the old Royal Palace of Westminster that can be visited and looks anything like a part of a medieval king's residence. It was built by Edward III (1312-77) in 1365-6 as a stronghold for his jewellery and other treasures, e.g., his wardrobe. Its building caused considerable annoyance to the church hierarchy because it was on land within the boundary of the Abbey and outside that of the palace. It is a three storey structure and was originally three-quarters surrounded by a moat which might have been more a fishpond than a defence. An inventory following the death of Henry VIII (1491-1547) includes clothes, jewels, furs and a doll. In the 17th century the tower became one of the storage places for parliamentary documents and then, following the completion of Barry's new Victoria Tower in 1864 which was specifically for that purpose, it became a Weights and Measures Office. That ceased in 1938 so Edward's commission provided shelter for bureaucrats for nearly six hundred years. It is now open to the public with a slight exhibition of the history and nature of the British parliamentary system and a few artefacts discovered in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster.

O/S Co-ords:3010.7940
Source(s):

The King's England London: The City and Westminster